The goal of this project is to connect my clients, an urban family of 4, with the amazing rural land they own in upstate New York as their second home. Simplicity, ease of maintenance and the use of materials taken from the 90 acres are the guideposts that orient the project. This work is a sculptural examination of the subtle traces of cultural history and ecological processes on site.

The soil on the project is horrendous. It is a greasy mix of shale and clay that is prone both to drought and standing water depending on the ambient meteorological conditions. The deer pressure is intense with upwards of 40 deer per square mile. No irrigation system exists, nor can it as the well supplies very little water. The wind and cold conditions are extreme. This site was formerly a high pasture for cattle that had been left fallow as a result of its low productivity for a few decades before my clients bought this land. The clients are not avid gardeners. They are quite busy and they live on this site primarily on the weekends.
Continue reading A Walk in the Woods | Hillsdale New York | Jon Piasecki